Alabama Commission on Higher Education

What Alabama Commission on Higher Education does

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) is the statutory state coordinating agency for public higher education in Alabama, established in 1969 and headquartered at 100 North Union Street in Montgomery. It exercises statutorily granted authority over academic program approval, institutional coordination, and statewide data collection for all 38 public colleges and universities in the state (14 four-year institutions and 24 two-year community and technical colleges). ACHE's core mandate covers regulatory oversight, academic program review, budget recommendations, and outcomes-based policy support for Alabama state legislators and the Governor's office.

ACHE's operational technology footprint centers on a centralized data infrastructure: the Statewide Student Database (longitudinal unit records mandated by law), the ACHE Data Portal (dynamic custom reporting with drill-down), ACHE Static Reports (pre-generated PDF/Excel publications), and interactive Microsoft Power BI dashboards for enrollment and completions. Institutional users access the Academic Program Review (APR) Portal, an extranet for submitting and processing program proposals, modifications, and off-campus site requests. ACHE integrates with federal and regional systems including IPEDS, NCES College Navigator, FAFSA, NC-SARA, and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The agency administers multiple state financial aid programs (ASAP, ASGP, AMSTEP, ReEngage) and produces workforce-alignment analytics including Employment Outcomes, College-Going Rate, and In-Demand Occupations reports.

ACHE is funded exclusively through Alabama state appropriations and does not charge fees for its coordination, regulatory, or data services to public institutions. Its customers are not commercial buyers but mandated constituents: the 38 Alabama public colleges and universities, Alabama students and families seeking financial aid and college information, and state policymakers requiring data for budget and policy decisions. The agency employs 11-50 staff organized across Research Services, Student Assistance, Academic Affairs, Agency Fiscal Services, and Communications functions, with no commercial revenue, no external funding, and no parent company or private ownership.

Name

Alabama Commission on Higher Education

Legal name

Alabama Commission on Higher Education

Website

https://ache.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) is the statutory state coordinating agency for public higher education in Alabama, overseeing academic program approval, statewide data collection, and financial aid administration for all 38 public colleges and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education Coordination

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Regulators & Tertiary Education Commissions (EDADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education Academic Standards & Degree Framework Authorities (EDADAEAG), Tuition Assistance & Voucher/ESA Program Administration (EDADAHAF)

Keywords

• Higher education coordination
• Academic program approval
• State financial aid administration
• Higher education data reporting
• Public university oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Montgomery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Appropriations: ACHE is a state government agency funded through state appropriations. The agency does not charge fees for its regulatory and coordination services to public institutions.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education is a state-level coordinating board that administers statewide oversight of Alabama's 38 public colleges and universities. Its core functions include approving new academic programs, administering state student financial aid, and managing centralized data systems that track enrollment, progression, and outcomes across the public higher education sector. The agency serves public institutions, students and families, and state policymakers as a statutory intermediary for higher education policy and reporting.

Product overview

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) operates a portfolio of interconnected digital products and services organized around a centralized data infrastructure. The core platform consists of the ACHE Data Portal (dynamic reporting) and ACHE Static Reports (pre-generated publications), supplemented by Microsoft Power BI dashboards for enrollment and completions analytics. Student-facing services include the Student Horizon Database, FAFSA Completion Portal, and Net Price Calculator. ACHE administers multiple financial aid programs including the Alabama Student Assistance Program, Alabama Student Grant Program, AMSTEP, and (Re)Engage Alabama Grant. For institutional users, ACHE provides the Academic Program Review (APR) Portal for program approvals, IPEDS Federal Reporting tools, and comprehensive Institutional Profiles. Research and workforce services include Employment Outcomes Reports, College-Going Rate Reports, College Readiness and Outcome Reports, and In-Demand Occupations Lists. The Academic Program Inventory provides searchable program data updated quarterly. The system processes data from 38 public colleges and universities across Alabama, with connections to federal systems (FAFSA, IPEDS, NCES) and regional partners (SREB).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Statewide Student Database Centralized student-level database that aggregates enrollment, progression, and outcome records from Alabama's public colleges and universities, used for institutional reporting and statewide policy analysis.
• Student Horizon Database Longitudinal student tracking system used to monitor student progression, transfer, and completion outcomes across Alabama public higher education.
• Academic Program Review (APR) Portal Online portal used by Alabama public institutions to submit, review, and receive approval for new and modified academic programs.
• ACHE Data Portal Public-facing data warehouse providing access to statewide higher education statistics, reports, and downloadable datasets for institutions, researchers, and the public.
• Statewide Power BI Dashboards Interactive Power BI dashboards that visualize statewide higher education metrics, including enrollment, completion, and funding data, for institutional and policy use.
• State Student Financial Aid Administration Administration of state-funded student financial aid programs for Alabama residents pursuing postsecondary education at eligible institutions.
• Academic Program Approval Service Statutory service for reviewing and approving new and modified academic programs proposed by Alabama public colleges and universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• All In Alabama initiative focuses on retaining graduates in the Alabama workforce
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: State coordinating board for public higher education in Texas, performing analogous functions to ACHE including academic program approval, data reporting, and financial aid administration for Texas public institutions.
• State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV): Virginia's coordinating body for higher education with statutory authority over academic program review, data collection, and policy recommendations for public institutions - directly comparable to ACHE's mandate in Alabama.
• Indiana Commission for Higher Education: Indiana's state agency coordinating higher education policy, data reporting, and financial aid, serving a similar coordinating and oversight function to ACHE across public institutions.
• Tennessee Higher Education Commission: Tennessee's higher education coordinating agency with comparable responsibilities for academic program approval, statewide data systems, and outcomes reporting for public institutions.
• Ohio Department of Higher Education: Ohio's executive state agency for higher education coordination, performing parallel functions to ACHE including program approval, institutional oversight, and statewide data reporting.
• Illinois Board of Higher Education: Illinois's coordinating board for higher education with statutory coordination, data collection, and policy recommendation roles similar to ACHE's mandate in Alabama.

Regional players

• Florida Department of Education - Division of Postsecondary Education: State-level higher education oversight entity in Florida handling coordination and data reporting functions for public institutions, operating in a different but comparable state-coordinator role.

Others

• Southern Regional Education Board (SREB): Regional education organization that ACHE directly integrates with for regional data coordination. Functions as a peer/supplier relationship in the data-sharing and policy ecosystem.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA): National body coordinating state-level reciprocity for distance education authorization. ACHE participates as a state portal entity, making NC-SARA both a partner and a comparable coordinating structure.

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): Federal entity that collects IPEDS data from institutions through state coordinators like ACHE. Operates upstream in the same data reporting value chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ache_edu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYdNGvYkV9GeFJup6tl9NNQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlabamaCommissiononHigherEducation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alabama Commission on Higher Education